I come from a family of very strong women. They’ve always inspired me to grow and to push myself to ever greater heights of self-actualization.

My mother in particular is a pillar of strength of character. She sets audacious goals for herself and blows everyone away with how she is able to not only achieve those goals, but keep reaching to greater ones. If there is one mantra that she dished out when I was growing up, and to be honest, still to this day, it’s this:

“Anything you put your mind to you can do.”

The problem for me, though was that, for much of my life, it felt like my thoughts were ruling my mind, not me. I for one, was never able to turn a switch and get my mind to stop thinking. It’s like if I tell you not to imagine a blue horse, I can pretty much guarantee you’ll have a blue furry friend braying his way across your mind’s eye. It always seemed that an innumerable number of thoughts were racing through my head. Many of them, to be honest, made me quite miserable. My favorites are “I’m a failure” and “I’m unlovable.” I’ve noticed I’m not alone there. Those thoughts are among humanity’s top 10 all time hits.

So I’d either succumb to the misery my thoughts created or go into fight or flight trying to run away from them. I was either in prison or an escaped convict. And neither of those positions puts you in the driver’s seat of your life, in a state of calm, mindful control over yourself and your actions. So, the question is, how do you gain control over what you put your mind to?

So far, the greatest tool that I’ve found for tapping into the power of mind over matter is The Work of Byron Katie. Watch my latest video to learn more about how The Work works.

Wishing you many little joys,

Chana

Chana Mason is a Personal Growth and Wellness Guide who is passionate about